• Tag Archives Compute!

  • Compute! (February 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Compute! was a popular computer magazine for home computer users in the 1980s. In 1983 it was subtitled “The Leading Magazine Of Home, Educational, And Recreational Computing”. It covered various popular home computer systems and even had spinoffs dedicated to particular systems such as the Commodore 64 and Apple II. The February 1983 issue of Compute! includes:

    Features

    • How The Pros Write Computer Games – Software developers weigh in on the process of creating a game.
    • A Day At The RAces – A type-in racetrack simulation for the VIC-20 and Atari that is also meant to help teach you programming.
    • Spectra Video’s New Home Computer – A look at the upcoming SpectraVideo SV-318 computer. It was based on a Z80 CPU and similar to MSX machines though not fully compliant with that standard (a later SpectraVideo machine would be).
    • Computer Talk Show – An article on an hour long radio talk show called Computer Talk in Dayton, Ohio.
    • Writing Transportable BASIC Part II – Part two of a guide to writing BASIC programs that can be easily adapted to multiple machine types.
    • Games We’d Like to See – Some tongue-in-cheek suggestions for new games.

    Education and Recreation

    • Copy Cat – A type-in matching game for the VIC-20, Atari 400/800, TRS-80 Color Computer, Apple II, and PET/CBM.
    • Slalom – A type-in skiing game for the Atari 400/800 and PET/CBM.
    • Writing Effective Educational Programs – Factors to consider when using computers for education. Includes a type-in geometry-teaching program for the TI-99/4A, VIC-20, and TRS-80 Color Computer.
    • MASTERMAZE: Mazing In Three Dimensions – A multi-level maze type-in game for the VIC-20, Commodore 64, PET/CBM, and other Microsoft BASIC computers.
    • Making Change – A type-in educational game for the TRS-80 Color Computer, PET/CBM, Apple II, Atari 400/800 and VIC-20 that teaches about money and giving the correct change.
    • The Joy Of Joysticks – A round-up of controllers for Atari and Commodore computers. Some joysticks covered here include the Atari Joystick, Slik Stik, Starfighter, Baylis Big Stick, WICO Command Control, Pointmaster, Quick Shot, Le Stick, Starplex Video Game Controller, Fingertip Controller, Command Control Trackball, and more.

    Reviews

    • Five VIC Games From Nufekop – This review includes Krazy Kong, Anti-Matter Splatter, 3-D Man, Exterminator, and Defender on Tri.
    • Apple Game Animation Package – Software for creating backgrounds and animated graphics on the Apple II.
    • Mazogs For Sinclair/Timex – A maze game for the Timex TS-1000, Sinclair ZX-81, and Sinclair ZX-80 in which you must collect the treasure.
    • Andromeda For Atari – A game for the Atari 400/800 in which you control a virus that you must manage to keep alive in a host body.
    • Shamus For Atari – I had a lot of fun with this action game from Synapse though I played it on the Commodore 64. I think the Atari 400/800 version was nearly identical though.
    • Maptown – Educational Games For Apple – A collection of educational games for the Apple II.

    Columns And Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – Atari introduces the 1200XL, Atari video game sales decrease, Compute!’s Gazette announced.
    • Ask The Readers – Questions answered about function keys on the VIC-20, add-ons for the Commodore 64, the Atari 825 printer, various disk drives for Commodore computers, upgrading the PET, and more.
    • Questions Beginners Ask – Questions answered about player/missile graphics on the Atari 400/800 and sprites on the Commodore 64, and RAM amounts on the VIC-20 and Atari 400.
    • Computers and Society: Artificial Reality – Metaplay and creating an artificial reality.
    • The Beginner’s Page: Writing An Arcade Game – An introduction to creating an arcade style game with some demonstration code.
    • Learning With Computers – Information on directories of educational software, programs for preschoolers, Children’s Television Workshop Software for the Apple II, and more.
    • The World Inside The Computer: A Computer Language For Kids – An introduction to a theoretical programming language for kids.
    • Programming The TI: Write Your Own Games – Some tips for writing games in the TI-99/4A.
    • Insight Atari – A default drive number under DOS and initializing DOS disks from BASIC.
    • Machine Language: The New 6500 Chips – A look at a couple of new chips in the 6500 series (of which the 6502 is most notable). These include the 6510 (used in the Commodore 64) and the 6509.
    • Telecommunications: Communication Errors Part I – The first in a two part series on error-detection methods.

    Journal

    • VIC Searcher – A type-in program designed to allow you to search through your code.
    • SuperFont Plus – A type-in program that gives you an ANTIC version of SuperFont.
    • Creating Graphics On The Expanded VIC – A type-in program that simplifies creating new character sets and graphics on a VIC-20 with at least 8K of RAM.
    • Vehicle Cost Performance – A type-in program for the Radio Shack Color Computer that helps you to analyze vehicle cost and performance.
    • Joysticks And Sprites On The Commodore 64 – A guide to reading joystick inputs in BASIC and moving sprites with the joystick.
    • Assembly Language And The PET – A beginner’s guide to assembly language on the PET using a program that computes factorials as an example.
    • Simple OSI Graphics – A tutorial on memory mapped graphics on OSI computers.
    • Commodore 64 Video – A Guided Tour: Part I – The first part of a series on the Commodore 64 VIC chip.
    • Bi-Directional VIC Scrolling – A type-in program that allows you to scroll back and forth in your code.
    • PET Dynamic Bookkeeping – A type in bookkeeping program for the PET that serves to illustrate a tape based system.
    • VIC High-res Plotter – A type-in program for plotting mathematical equations on the VIC-20.
    • The Atari Cruncher – A type-in program for the Atari 400/800 that compresses your programs with DATA statements.
    • Super Shell Sort For PET/CBM – An implementation of a shell sort for the PET/CBM.
    • Atari Line Range Manipulator – A type-in program that enhances the BASIC editor by allowing you to copy, delete, and move entire line ranges.
    • Easy Apple Editing – A type-in editor for the Apple II that allows the ability to modify BASIC program lines.
    • “Stringing” Atari Machine Code – A type-in utility for the Atari 400/800 that helps you to transfer machine code bytes from data statements to strings.
    • The Expanded/Unexpanded VIC – A guide to writing programs on the VIC-20 that work with and without expanded memory.
    • Left-handed Atari Joysticks – How to adjust your joystick for easier left-handed use.
    • UFO Pilot: VIC Custom Characters For Game Graphics – A type-in game that illustrates the use of the VIC multicolor mode.
    • Comets – A type in program for the Apple II that simulates the motion of a comet.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • Compute! (August 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Compute! was a multiformat magazine that covered a variety of popular machines. It was one of the better magazines in this category, especially if you wanted something more home computer oriented and a little less technical than Byte. The August 1987 issue includes:

    Features

    • Compute!’s Readership Survey – A survey for readers that asks questions like what kind of computer you use, what kind of applications, etc. This was used in part to determine coverage in future issues.
    • CES and COMDEX: A Tale of Two Cities – Comparing the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago with COMDEX in Atlanta. Both were big shows for electronics and computer software and hardware.
    • >Climber 5 – A type in game for the Commodore 64, Atari, Amiga, Apple II, and PC in which you must climb to the top of a building to retrieve a baseball while avoiding various obstacles.

    Reviews

    • Bank Street Writer Plus – A word processor for the Apple II line and the IBM PC.
    • Might and Magic – The classic fantasy RPG reviewed here for the Apple II.
    • Space M+A+X – A simulation in which you must make money operating a space station for the IBM PC.
    • Realms of Darkness – Another role-playing game, this one from Strategic Simulations (SSI) for the Apple II and Commodore 64.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Note – Recent advancements in superconductivity and its implications for computing.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Readers write in about the future of 5.25″ disks, checking the CAPS key on the Atari 130XE, the importance of saving a typed-in program before running it, upgrading an Amiga CPU, and more.
    • Computers and Society: The Next Gutenberg Revolution – Desktop publishing becomes more affordable with the introduction of Atari’s laser printer for the ST.
    • The World Inside the Computer: Robert Evans Meets the Xerox 4020 – A look at a new printer from Xerox featuring ink jet technology.
    • Microscope – A look at IBM’s new PS/2 line (an their marketing), and some comparisons with the Atari ST and Amiga.
    • Telecomputing Today: A Conversion Experience – Issues converting an old MacWrite disk to a new system with a utility download coming to the rescue.
    • The Beginner’s Page: Program Loops – A look at GOTO, FOR-NEXT, and WHILE-END loops in BASIC.
    • IBM Personal Computing: What to Do About Junior – The merits of upgrading a PCjr (or lack thereof) vs. getting a whole new PC.
    • AmigaView: All About Icons – Creating your own icons.
    • ST Outlook: Page Flipping – A tutorial for flipping between multiple display screens.
    • INSIGHT: Atari – Graphics: From BASIC to ML – A look at how Atari BASIC converts graphics commands to machine language.

    The Journal

    • 64 Eighty – A type-in program that will give you an 80-column display on the Commodore 64. A similar software trick was used in a terminal program I used back in the day. It’s not as high quality as a genuine 80-column displays (the C64s native display is 40 columns) but it was pretty good.
    • BASIC Batch Files with Atari DOS – How to execute BASIC commands (or other things) upon startup.
    • Math Graphics for Atari ST – A couple of type-in graphics demos for the ST.
    • Compress and Decompress – A couple of type-in utilities for compressing and decompressing high-res graphics files on the Apple II.
    • Fractal Mountains for Amiga – A type-in program that will generate fractal graphics on the Amiga.
    • Pop-Up ASCII Table for IBM – A type-in utility that runs in the background and will give you a pop-up ASCII table on a keypress.
    • XpressCard Filing System for the Commodore 64 – A type-in database program for the C64.
    • ML Relocator – A type-in machine language utility that will let you move ML programs around in memory that normally need to use the same memory space.
    • SoftSprite – A type-in machine language routine that adds commands to BASIC that allow you to quickly move shapes around the screen.
    • The Power of ON-GOTO and ON-GOSUB – A tutorial for using the conditional ON-GOTO and ON-GOSUB commands in BASIC on the Atari (and most other machines with BASIC).
    • Chaining Programs in Applesoft BASIC – A tutorial for calling one program from another.
    • The 128’s CHAR Statement – A detailed look into the BASIC CHAR statement on the Commodore 128 by Jim Butterfield.
    • Comparing BASIC Programs – A type-in BASIC program for the PC that will compare two BASIC programs and report any differences. So basically a diff program for BASIC.
    • News and Products – Life Simulation 100 is a sim of possible consequences based on various choices; Diskette Manager Plus 1.1 and Diskette Manager II disk manager for the PC; Time Scrolls for the Mac reports on what happened the day you were born; Up Periscope and Sentry games for the Commodore 64; and much more.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • Compute! (March 1988)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 94 – March 1988

    Compute! covered various home computers over the years. It was a little less technical than Byte (for example) at least in terms of hardware coverage. However, it was a great magazine and had numerous spin-off, the most successful of which was Gazette for the Commodore 64/128. The March 1988 issue of Compute! includes:

    Features

    • Computers: The Powerful, New Music Machines – A short history of computers in music and the technology currently available.
    • Buyer’s Guide to Tax Preparation Software – An overview of then curren tax software including DivorceTax (DOS), Estate Tax Planner (DOS), Everything You Need To Do Your Taxes With Lotus 1-2-3 (DOS), EZTax-Prep 1040 (Apple II, DOS, Macintosh), EZTax-Plan Personal Edition (DOS), Future-Tax (Commodore 64, Plus/4), J.K. Lasser’s Your Income Tax 1988 (DOS), MacInTax (Macintosh), PC/TaxCut (DOS), Quick Returns! (Apple II, Macintosh, DOS), Swiftax (Commodore 64/128), Taxaid (Commodore 64, Plus/4), TaxView Planner (DOS), Tax Advantage (Apple II, DOS), The Tax Advantage (DOS, Apple II, Atari, Atari ST, Commodore 64/128), Tax Command Planner (Commodore 64/128, Apple II, DOS), Tax Command Professional (Commodore 64/128, Apple II, DOS), and many more.
    • Casino Blackjack – A type-in blackjack game for the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, DOS, Apple II, and Amiga.
    • Centerstage: AMIGA! – The World of Commodore Show – While there was plenty of Commodore 64/128 stuff on display and a new XT compatible PC 10-III model from Commodore, the Amiga was the focus at the 1987 World of Commodore show.
    • The Amiga Virus – Apparently, the World of Commodore show was ground zero for the spread of a virus for the Amiga.

    Reviews

    • Top Fuel Eliminator – A drag racing game from Activision for the Commodore 64 and Apple II.
    • Thexder – An arcade style game reviewed here for the Apple IIgs and also available for DOS.
    • ProDrive for the Amiga – A third part 3.5″ disk drive for the Amiga that is compatible with the Amiga 1010 drive.
    • Dark Castle – Dark Castle is a horror themed action game that has beautiful graphics but a very high degree of difficulty. The Amiga version is reviewed here but it was also available for DOS, the Macintosh, Atari ST, and Commodore 64.
    • Postcards – Software from Activision for creating postcards for the Apple II (reviewed here), Macintosh, Commodore 64, and DOS.
    • Empire – This strategy game would become a classic. Reviewed here for the Atari ST with DOS, Apple II and Amiga versions available.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – A look at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Letters from readers about copying Commodore 64 BASIC from ROM to RAM, the Atari BASIC NEW command, using Commodore 1541 and 1571 disk drives together, and more.
    • Microscope – IBM celebrates shipping one-millionth IBM PS/2, the Amiga reaches an installed base of 500,000 meanwhile the Commodore 64 is still popular with an installed base of over 10 million, Motorola announces 68030, Apple announces that 200,000 Apple IIgs systems have been sold, and more.
    • Computers and Society: Computers, Writing, and AI – Some of the limitations of spell checkers in word processors.
    • The Beginner’s Page: Making Music with BASIC – A tutorial for creating music in BASIC with the Amiga, Atari, Atari ST, Commodore 128, and IBM PC.
    • IBM Personal Computing: Computer Stew – A look at God Speed Bible software and John Sculley’s book, Odyssey, about his history at Pepsi and Apple.
    • The World Inside the Computer: Computers of the Future – Readers describe what they think computers of the future will be like.
    • Telecomputing Today: The Trojan Wars – This article talks about the risk of Trojans when downloading software. It credits a BASIC statement on Commodore PET computers that could actually damage hardware as being the first. It also talks about a new variant called viruses.
    • AmigaView: Third-Party Hardware and Software – A look a third party hardware for the Amiga including accelerators, SCSI controllers, memory expansion, and more as well as new software such as Superbase Professional, DeluxeWrite, Publisher 1000, and more.
    • ST Outlook: Snooping Into Your Disks – A type-in program that will let you examine the content of disks on the Atari ST.
    • INSIGHT: Atari – More on Structure – A follow-up article on structured programming and structured data types on the Atari 8-bit.

    The Journal

    • Cursor Plus – A type-in program for Atari 8-bit computers that expands the capabilities of the editor.
    • Math Graphics for the IBM PC – Two type-in programs for creating graphical displays based on math.
    • The Elementary Amiga, Part 4 – The fourth part in a series on using the Amiga. This part includes information about directories, logical drives, command files, and more.
    • Color Map – A type-in drawing program for the Commodore 64.
    • Math Draw for Amiga – A type-in menu driven graphics program for the Amiga.
    • Catalog to Text File – A type-in program for the Apple II that outputs a disk directory to a text file.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged